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Excellence in Concrete Pavements

american Concrete Pavement association annual awards
he American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has named the recipients of its 20th annual “Excellence in Concrete Pavement” awards for 2009, which recognize quality concrete pavements constructed in the U.S. and Canada. Judges representing various stakeholder groups in the transportation/construction community evaluated and voted on the projects. The contractors, engineers, and project owners who completed outstanding projects are formally recognized each year during a gala awards ceremony held at ACPA’s annual meeting. Awards are given in 12 categories applicable to the construction and rehabilitation of highways, roadways, and airports and, for the first time, industrial pavement facilities. The gold-level award winners, by category, included:

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Highway Construction, Inc.; Owner/Engineer: City and County of Denver Department of Aviation. This $17.3 million CPR project involved removal and replacement of 83,000 yd2 (69,400 m2) of 17 in. (431 mm) thick pavement on taxiways and runways (approximately 2000 panels), as well as more than 450 in-pavement lights. The project also included 500 ft2 (46 m2) of spall repair, replacement of heavy-duty expansion joints, stabilizing (mud-jacking) 34 panels, joint sealing, and 4000 yd2 (370 m2) of surface grinding. With aircraft taxiing only a few feet from the work zone, safety measures were strictly followed. Despite the challenges of this project, the runway opened 17 days earlier than expected.

Commercial service and military airports

Main Base Runway Replacement, Edwards Air Force Base, Kern County, CA; Contractor/Engineer: CH2M Hill-IHC, a joint venture of CH2M Hill and Interstate Highway Construction, Inc.; Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to decommissioning the existing main runway at Edwards Air Force Base, a temporary 12,000 x 200 ft (3660 x 61 m) runway had to be built, as the construction project could not compromise flight operations. More than 445,000 yd2 (372,000 m2) of existing concrete had to be demolished in 9 weeks and then the crews placed a total of 28 miles (45 km) of concrete pavement, 33 to 38 ft (10 to 11.5 m) wide and in thicknesses of 12, 16, and 20 in. (304, 406, and 508 mm). Crews had to deal with the harsh environmental conditions of the high Mojave Desert, with daily temperatures sometimes reaching 110˚F (43˚C), with low humidity and wind gusts often exceeding 25 mph (40 km/h).

William White Blvd. (defense access road), Pueblo County, CO; Contractor: Castle Rock Construction Co.; Owner: Pueblo County, CO; Engineer: Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc. William White Blvd. connects State Highway 47 with the Pueblo County Airport, which is a U.S. Department of Defense installation surrounded by a number of defense contractors. The 2.6 mile (42 km) long project consisted of 98,700 yd2 (82,500 m2) of 10 in. (254 mm) doweled and grooved concrete pavement, 5000 yd2 (4180 m2) of concrete driveway, and 15,000 ft (4570 m) of integral curb and gutter. The concrete pavement was 65 ft (20 m) wide in the reconstruction area and 60 ft (18 m) wide in the new construction area. The entire reconstruction area required excavation to a depth of 3 ft (0.9 m), with no disruption to utilities.

plain concrete pavement on the northbound lanes of the interstate and replaced the sections with jointed, doweled concrete pavement and concrete shoulders. The project also included rehabilitation of four bridges and installation of median cable guardrail, new right-of-way fencing, a roadway management system, interchange lighting, and a winter road-closure station. The project was the first in Wyoming to feature a longitudinally tined texture.

Divided highways—urban

Edwards Air Force Base Main Base Runway Replacement

Interstate 75, Birch Run Creek to Bridgeport Interchange, Saginaw County, MI; Contractor: Interstate Highway Construction, Inc.; Owner: Michigan DOT; Engineer: Rowe Professional Services Co. In this $50 million reconstruction of 6.5 miles (10.4 km) of highway, the contractor removed and replaced three lanes of existing concrete pavement, but the project also involved widening to the median; adding a fourth lane, valley gutter, and a permanent barrier wall; and reconstruction of a park-and-ride facility. Adding to the complexity was the removal, replacement, and widening of four bridges. A new barrier gate system, the first of its type in Michigan, was installed in the median barrier wall to allow authorized vehicles entry with a key code. This provides critical access to the opposite roadway without going to the nearest interchange.

Industrial pavements

Oklahoma Welcome Centers’ parking areas, Kay County and Beckham County, OK; Contractor: Duit Construction Co., Inc.; Owner: Oklahoma DOT; Engineer: Tetra Tech FHC. Pavements for the Welcome Centers on Interstate 40 and Interstate 35 were constructed in 8, 9, 10, and 11 in. (203, 228, 254, and 279 mm) thicknesses and from two different concrete mixtures. Duit Construction had to address complex patterns in the joint design and construction and used guidance from ACPA to ensure the proper types of tied and doweled joints were used. Some 34 different radii made the joint layout challenging, so numerous tapers were included to ensure against premature failure.

Denver International Airport Pavement Rehabilitation

State Highway 59, Donkey Creek to Interstate 90, Gillette, WY; Contractor: Concrete Works of Colorado, Inc.; Owner: City of Gillette, WY; Engineer: WWC Engineering. Severely distressed asphalt pavement was replaced with more than 81,000 yd2 (67,700 m2) of 9 in. (228 mm) concrete pavement. Highway 59 was widened through the city of Gillette, resulting in the equivalent of 10 lanes (three through lanes in each direction, as well as double

Municipal streets and intersections (greater than 30,000 yd2)

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left-turn lanes at all intersections and shoulders). The project also involved 10,000 ft (3050 m) of curb and gutter; a raised, colored median and median skirt; a sidewalk/bike path; and precast box culverts. The project was constructed in numerous phases, which required more than 25 individual bulkheads in both the northbound and southbound directions. The contractor earned significant smoothness incentives and earned a $1 million early completion bonus.

Municipal streets and intersections (less than 30,000 yd2)

South Main Street Design/Build Project, Maryville, MO; Contractor: Loch Sand & Construction Co.; Owner: City of Maryville, MO; Engineer: Snyder & Associates. To fix the city’s primary artery, comprised largely of deteriorated asphalt overlays that required almost daily maintenance, the contractor proposed removing the deteriorated roadway to a full 32 ft (10 m) width and then placing concrete pavement, as well as curb and gutter. To manage the project while allowing access, the contractor built the project in two phases. Although the contractor had 5-1/2 months to complete the project, the work was finished a month ahead of schedule.

Interstate 75, Birch Run Creek to Bridgeport Interchange

Overlays

Interstate 77 Reconstruction Design-Build Project, Yadkin County, NC; Contractor: The Lane Construction Corp.; Owner: North Carolina DOT; Engineer: HDR Engineering, Inc., of the Carolinas. This project involved 26.1 lane miles (42 km) and used 11 in. (279 mm) thick concrete for mainline sections, 13 in. (330 mm) in full depth reconstruction (FDR) areas, and 9 in. (228 mm) on ramps and loops. The overlay was placed on existing continuously reinforced concrete with 1.5 in. (38 mm) of surface course bond breaker, while the FDR areas used 6 in. (152 mm) of stone and 4 in. (101 mm) of asphalt base course. Because of holiday and seasonal restrictions, Lane had very short time windows to complete the work on various sections before they needed to be reopened to traffic. To address the challenge, the projects were separated into multiple sections that allowed completion of each section over a span of 2 to 3 months. Because ramps, loops, and bridge tie-ins could only be closed for 11 days, the construction team worked around the clock to complete the work during these closures. Project NHY-033N (012), Sequoyah County, OK; Contractor: Duit Construction Co., Inc.; Owner/Engineer: Oklahoma DOT. The U.S. 59 roadway was experiencing premature deterioration. The Oklahoma DOT decided to correct the problem with a 7 in. (178 mm) doweled jointed plain concrete pavement. Time was critical, as only 30 calendar

State Highway 59, Donkey Creek to Interstate 90

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South Main Street Project

Overlay, Sequoyah County

days were allotted for the project, which involved 1.61 miles (2.6 km) of four-lane divided highway for a total of 7.05 lane miles (11.3 km). The work was done in two phases and involved moving daily traffic in a twolane, head-to-head configuration while the adjacent side was repaired. An optimized gradation mixture design using the Shilstone method was credited with creating a concrete pavement that is strong, long lasting, and cost effective. The average compressive strength of the concrete was 4460 psi (31 MPa) for the mainline sections. U.S. 131 Concrete Overlay, Kent County, MI; Contractor: Ajax Paving Industries, Inc.; Owner: Michigan DOT, Grand Rapids Region; Engineer: Michigan DOT-Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center. Ajax Paving Industries, Inc., placed a 6.5 in. (165 mm) unbonded concrete overlay on 26 miles (42 km) of an existing 40-year-old concrete pavement, using a 1 in. (25 mm) asphalt separator layer. The original pavement was on a 6 in. (152 mm) aggregate subbase on 12 in. (305 mm) of sand subbase. Some full-depth reconstruction was required at areas under bridges where the roadway passed over the freeway or transitioned down to bridge decks on the freeway and over streams or local roads. A Shilstone-type well-graded concrete mixture, with three aggregates, was used. The mixture, which contained 40% slag cement, used only 294 lb/yd3 (174 kg/m3) of portland cement.

Overlay, U.S. 131

Reliever and general aviation airports

Delphi Municipal Airport Runway 18-36 Rehabilitation, Delphi, IN; Contractor: E&B Paving, Inc.; Owner: Delphi Board of Aviation Commission; Engineer: NGC Corp. This airport features the first full concrete overlay to be built on an airport runway in Indiana. Initially constructed in the early 1970s, the 2652 ft (808 m) long asphalt pavement runway was poorly drained and in need of complete rehabilitation. The contractor paved in 20 ft (6 m) wide lanes and placed about 1300 lineal ft (396 m) per day, completing the paving in 6 days. Profilograph testing revealed extraordinary smoothness. The overlay project saved the Delphi Board of Aviation Commission about $200,000 against a $900,000 rehabilitation budget.

State roads

Reconstruction of U.S. 34 in Union County, Creston, IA; Contractor: Cedar Valley Corp.; Owner: Iowa DOT. This project generated some major concerns because the city of Creston would have been temporarily divided in two if the highway were closed. The paving was staged one half at a time to maintain traffic, and the plans permitted continuous access to the highway or designated side streets for all businesses and residents along the highway. As the work began, more than 50 in. (1270 mm)

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of rain fell during the construction period. Adding to the challenges were utility conflicts that were exacerbated by different elevation conflicts. Still, the staging enabled completion of the challenging paving project, allowing the contractor to place 8 lane miles (13 km) of 9.5 in. (241 mm) concrete on 20 ft (6 m) joint spacings and, at the same time, averting flooding that could have threatened the downtown area were it not for expert planning and coordination.

railroads. Other features included construction of water retention ponds and reconstruction of the historic Big Detroit Lake scenic overlook. Short work schedules and major environmental considerations also added to the complexity. Visit www.acpa.org for more information.
Highway 10/Connect

Urban arterials and collectors

Highway 10/Connect, Detroit Lakes, MN; Contractor: Shafer Contracting Company, Inc., and Hoffman Construction; Owner: Minnesota DOT; Engineer: HNTB. The goal of this design-bid-build project was to improve safety and mobility along the Highway 10 corridor. Shafer placed 12 lane miles (19 km) of concrete pavement with joint spacing of 15 ft (4.5 m). This complex project required coordination of several different features, including demolition of business and residential properties, realignment of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of railroad tracks, improvement of the busy intersection of Highways 59 and 34, and construction of a five-lane bridge over two